February 23, 2014

Combine profile: Pitt DT Aaron Donald

Name: Aaron Donald

Position: Defensive tackle

Height/weight: 6-1/285

School/Class: Pittsburgh/Senior

Projected round: 1st-2nd

Career highlights: A first-team All-American who won just about every award he could this past season. Donald won the Outland, Nagurski and Bednardik awards after he led his Panthers with 11 sacks from tackle.

Did you know?: He averaged 2.2 tackles for loss in 2013, which led the FBS.

Quotes: “It (lack of size) never got to me, it is what it is. Thinking about it isn't going to get me no taller. All I can (do) is go play the game of football, the way I play it: hard-nosed, out there trying to make plays.

“I love the way (Bengals DT Geno Atkins) plays. I watched him a lot, watched him a lot my junior year in college. Explosive, fun to watch, he just makes a ton of plays. What he's doing in the NFL is amazing, it's an honor to even be compared to a guy like that.

“I feel like I can make an impact right away, feel like I can come in and have trust in the coaches and playbook and make plays right away.

Panthers’ level of interest: Donald is a 3-technique in a 4-3 defense, which would be perfect for the Panthers if this were last year. But it’s not, of course. Donald wowed at the Senior Bowl and was easily the best interior lineman in Mobile and the most consistent linemen of them all. The Panthers want to keep their strengths strong, and adding a defensive tackle is something I can see the team doing in the draft. But with other needs, justifying a first-round pick on a defensive tackle is something Carolina can’t do.

--Jonathan Jones

Posted by Observer Sports on February 23, 2014 at 05:55 PM | Permalink

Comments

Could we deal D-Will and J-Stew to get Chris Johnson? 1st round pick, we should get a big time WR.